


The Taste of Pomegranate

by SugarsweetRomantic



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Artistic Liberties, Carol is Hera, Emma is Hebe, First Meetings, Flynn is Hades, Gen, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Lucy is Eleos, One Shot, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, This Is A Very Creative Interpretation of Greek Myths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:15:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25402201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarsweetRomantic/pseuds/SugarsweetRomantic
Summary: Lucy, goddess of Mercy, ventures into the Underworld.
Relationships: Amy Preston & Lucy Preston
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	The Taste of Pomegranate

‘I really shouldn’t be here,’ is the first thought that crosses Lucy’s mind as she steps onto the narrow staircase that leads down into the Hades. An unsettling feeling of discomfort and despair creeps through her veins and settles in her throat, constricting every breath. It feels as though the air is thicker, heavier, down here where shadows dwell eternally.

From the stories, she had expected this place to be scorching hot. Instead, Lucy is surrounded by an all-encompassing coldness that penetrates to the bone. It makes no sense, and yet it does. Torches on either side of the stairwell walls seem attractive, but as Lucy attempts to pick one up out of its recess the flame bursts out towards her hand in a vicious flare. The skin of her palm is burnt immediately, and probably indefinitely as well. She could have brought a lantern herself, sure, but she didn’t know how Death would react to her bringing  _ anything  _ into his realm uninvited. Dragging her own corporeal form down here is an enormous risk in itself. 

She  _ has  _ to do this, though.

For Amy.

As Lucy makes her way to the bottom of the stairs, a river comes into view. It is so wide that she cannot see the other side from where she is standing. Instead, endless water disappears into a near-black fog. 

A small boat is tied to a pole.

“Charon?” Lucy calls out. “I have a request for you.”

Instantaneously, a man and woman appear.  _ Two _ ? The stories of the other that had ventured here before her had only ever mentioned one.

“We are Charon,” the woman announces, “navigators of the river Styx. Do you have what we request?”

‘Seven silver coins,’ Mason had told her. ‘Less, and Charon will let you drown. More, and Charon will never let you leave.’

Lucy produces a small satchel from her dresses and retrieves the currency. The woman accepts the coins from her and inspects them. Lucy holds her breath. The woman hums and nods at the man.

“I am Jiya, half of Charon,” she says. “I will send you on your way.”

“I am Rufus, half of Charon,” the man continues. “I will take you to your destination. What do you seek in the Hades?”

“I am Lucy, daughter of Carol, of the Olympus,” Lucy replies. “I seek to speak with your King.”

“We have no King,” Rufus responds. “But, if it is Death you seek, then Death you shall meet.” Lucy bows her head in response, following Rufus into the small wooden boat. What had seemed an endless body of water before, suddenly reveals its opposite bank. Navigators, huh.

Silently, Rufus steers the boat, unaffected by harsh waves and strong currents, to the other side. Lucy isn’t certain how long it takes them to cross the Styx. It could be ten minutes; it could be ten hours. It’s as if time itself is affected by the sheer force of the water. Before she knows it, though, she has once again set foot onto dry land.

The cold is even harsher here; it hits even deeper. For the first time since Lucy began this madwoman’s descent, she can feel how the powers of the Hades are impacting her movement, making each step more difficult than the previous. 

“Join us,” a shadow beckons her. Its dimly lit eyes offer promises of wealth and warmth. It would be so  _ easy  _ to give in -- to give up. 

But Lucy refuses.

She has to.

For Amy.

Death’s chambers are surprisingly inviting, though the cold strikes even more thoroughly still. Lucy forces herself not to tremble. She mustn’t -- she can’t show weakness. Showing vulnerability in the face of Death would surely be her demise.

Death gazes at her as she walks up to him. He seems intrigued, almost amused.

“Well met, Lucy, daughter of Carol, light of the Olympus,” he greets her. 

“How do you know my name?” Lucy asks. She is caught off-guard by his greeting. Death grins and gazes at her, bright blue flames illuminating them both.

“I know many things about you, Lucy of Carol. You have revealed them to me yourself.”

“How…?” Lucy begins another inquiry, but realisation suddenly sinks in. “The dreams.” Death nods in response.

“Yes, the dreams. Quite vivid, were they not?”

“Then you know why I am here,” Lucy states. She doesn’t like to be toyed with. 

“I do,” Death confirms. “You are here to retrieve your sister from the shadows.”

“Yes, and--” Lucy wants to reply, but Death cuts her off with a raise of his hand.

“You do not have to bargain with me, Lucy of Carol. I shall grant you your sister. Her death was an unfortunate accident caused by Emma, betrothed of Nicholas. I do not appreciate others attempting to command my actions, and thus I will let her have another chance at life. There is one condition, though.”

‘Of course,’ Lucy thinks. ‘There has to be a catch.’

“And what might that condition be?” she asks, gazing defiantly at Death.

“You will work for me, with me,” Death decides.

“I refuse to kill innocents,” Lucy replies immediately. That earns her an amused chuckle.

“I don’t  _ need  _ a murderer, Lucy of the Olympus. I have plenty of those among the shadows. What I  _ need  _ is mercy.  _ The  _ goddess of Mercy: you.”

“That sounds too simple,” Lucy fires back at Death. “Why would  _ you  _ of all Gods implement mercy?”

“Oh Lucy,” Death sighs. “I am not cruel. I am merely good at my job. Your mother is the goddess of Life, yes?” When Lucy nods affirmingly, he continues: “Life, she should be feared. She is a beautiful lie, along with Youth and Beauty. I am merely a painful truth.”

“Perhaps,” Lucy grants him as a choked answer.

“Now,” Death announces, “do we have a deal? I get you; you get your sister.” 

Lucy takes a deep breath and stares at the shadow of Amy standing behind Death.

“It’s a deal.”

She never does release that breath.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This fic is filled with Greek mythology inaccuracies, and I hope you'll forgive me for them. The largest ones I felt I had to point out, though:  
> \- Eleos is not the daughter of Hera  
> \- Hera is not the goddess of Life  
> \- The Hades actually consists of five different regions for the dead to remain, but for simplicity's sake, Lucy has gone directly into the Tartarus. Amy, however, would probably not be there. She would most likely be in the Asphodel Meadows, or perhaps the Elysium Fields.


End file.
